Seas of Praise and Gratitude
by Aethra Caelis
Summary: A collection of H/Allelujah x Soma/Marie ficlets, presenting different flavors in their relationship. UPDATED -- "Of Praise & Sorrow"
1. Personal Paradise

Disclaimer : _Gundam 00_, characters and related indicia © Bandai, Sunrise

Author's notes : A diary entry, turned ficlet/drabble; thoughts on how Supersoldiers may live in a world where they are no longer needed.

**Personal Paradise  
_a Gundam 00 ficlet by Cielo_**

"Mommy! Look!"

"Hush! Put your hand down, its rude to point!"

It was a busy afternoon in Paris -- it was the end of the day and people were walking along the busy streets of the metropolis' business districts. But despite the crowd, despite all the possible hair and eye colors existing in the world, Soma Peries and Allelujah Haptism still manage to stand out.

The mother quietly scolded her child as they passed the couple, "... and it's also rude to stare, just look where you're going...". Allelujah gave Soma a sidewards glance and he detected a light sigh from her.

Nobody knew they were "super soldiers" or orphans. Nobody really remembered who was piloting which MS or Gundam during the past wars -- people easily forget. Anything out of the norm get older issues under rug swept; so a pair of golden eyes, matched with silver tresses, and heterochromia of silver and gold on a man are deemed very distracting indeed.

People looked at them, as if wolves have been unleashed in their midst -- wolves as heralds of the apocalypse, and will thus lead them to paradise. They were regarded with awe and fear.

But in the room of their small shared apartment, there were no judging eyes, no hushed voices laced with fear & suspicion. The touch of their hands confirmed each other's presence, and in each other's arms they find solace -- a home in each other's hearts.

-- END --


	2. Only When I Sleep

Disclaimer : _Gundam 00_, characters and related indicia © Bandai, Sunrise

Author's notes : this was written for the **Mechaphiles Holiday Fic Exchange 2008** (see Gundam00 comm at LiveJournal,) for Arislan-chan. The prompt was: "Nightmares and dreams." Thanks to Dynames for beta-reading, and for AndoyC for his input.

**Only When I Sleep  
**_**a Gundam 00 fanfic by Cielo**_

Salty sea air caressed her sun kissed skin, lightly playing with her long silver hair. She shifted her feet, letting the soft, cool sand tickle her toes. Cargo pants rolled up to her knees, she softly giggled as azure surf washed over her ankles, lifting her feet up from the sand covering them. She shielded her eyes from the sun which gradually made its way down the horizon.

A gentle padding of feet made her turn her head back, as she smiled at the newcomer. The soft breeze ruffled his olivine hair, the sun's rays reflecting off his mismatched eyes. Smiling, he held out his hand, "Let's take a walk, Marie."

They made their way along the beach, the slowly rising tide lazily lapping at their feet. Hand in hand, they walked in silence, the sun unfaltering in its path. He fell back in his pace, and surprised Marie by enveloping her in his strong, warm embrace. He inhaled the scent of hibiscus, mingled with salty sea breeze in her hair.

Marie's heart raced – so much that she could swear he could hear it from where he was. She felt him smile against her neck, as the breath of a chuckle tickled her skin. The subtle contact made her skin tingle. She barely recognized her own voice as she sighed out his name, as one hand traveled up her neck, "Allelujah..."

"Is it just me, or did I hear you say, _Hallelujah?"_

The sudden change in his voice sent an icy chill down Marie's spine. Her breath caught in her throat as the arm around her waist tightened, as the fingers around her neck playfully pressed at her pulsing vein, at her throat, seemingly contemplating where he should tighten his grip to kill her in one move... Or if he should play with her first.

Marie's survival instincts kicked in: She shoved the hand by her neck outwards and the surprise allowed her to spin out of his grip and take two quick strides backwards. Hallelujah had a foot back, slightly hunched forward; his silver eye shadowed by the twilight, highlighting the manic glint in his golden eye.

The sun's downward journey was almost over, as the tide was pulled upwards – sea water was suddenly up to her calves, waves sending water up to her knees.

"Hey, _Marie,_" Her eyes twitched at the way he mockingly drawled her name, "where the hell's Soma Peries? She's the one I want to _kill_!" He stood at full height and effortlessly walked forward, slowly covering the distance between them. She tried stepping back, but to her horror, her feet were anchored to the sand. She held her head in her hands as it throbbed at her disturbed Quantum Brainwaves, _'Allelujah... Come back, please, Allelujah!_'

"Calling him won't do anything, _Marie_," he went up behind her, "and since Soma's not around..." he then pushed her forward, shoving her head underwater, "I'll have to make do by killing _you_ instead!"

She wanted to scream. Her hair swam by her salt-stung eyes as she struggled against the grip that kept her head submerged. The sand swallowed her hands. She was out of breath, her lungs felt as if they were about to explode. Her mind screamed out for him squeezing her eyes shut, _'Allelujah! Please, ALLELUJAH!'_

Marie suddenly felt her body spasm – was that her last breath? Is she dead? She slowly registered her surroundings – she was breathing, she was dry. Right in front of her eyes was a ceiling, and she was in bed . She turned her head to the side, and there was Allelujah, asleep, as if nothing happened.

But the blood-lust laden voice that echoed in her head was unmistakable:

_'I'm coming to get you, Soma – no – Marie Parfacy... And not even Allelujah can save you...'_

-- END --


	3. Of Praise and Sorrow

Disclaimer: _Gundam 00_ characters and related indicia © Bandai Entertainment, Sunrise.

_Written back in December 11, 2008, this is a drabble in response to a prompt at the Mechaphiles Forum,_ _"All the points of light start to dim and cease transmitting."_

**WARNING!! CHARACTER DEATH!!**  
If this is not your cup of tea, I suggest you don't proceed.

**Of Praise and Sorrow  
_a Gundam 00 fanfic by Cielo_**

It had all happened so fast -- platoons of Ahead, GN-X, all up against the handful of mobile suits that made of Celestial Being. The top turret of the Ptolemaios was locked on, where Marie had been assigned to man the guns. In a move that one can consider heroic, or downright idiotic, Allelujah drove the Arios into the line of fire...

~*~*~*~

The ICU at Krung Thep was silent, save for the hiss and beep of the life support capsule -- the thread upon which Allelujah Haptism hung onto. Marie was sitting on a chair right beside it, her head leaning onto the glass. To the unknowing passerby, it would only seem that this woman fell asleep watching over the patient. But the members of Celestial Being knew that it was the only way if they wanted to see Allelujah back up on his feet again.

His injuries were such that even at the rate of regenerative medicine at their disposal, it would take almost a year for him to gain complete functions of his body and to go through rigorous physical therapy. Any other person would have died -- but it would seem that Super Soldiers were created -- manufactured -- to endure a lot more.

But what use would the body be, if the mind, the heart and the spirit were destroyed?

Marie carried minute conversations with Allelujah in her mind -- and more often than not, the conversations where one-sided. It was like she was doing all the talking and he was just listening. She knew he was there -- it was like she could hear him breathing, as if his lips were moving; an undecipherable, but strong signal that only she could understand.

And then it happened.

Chall Acoustica happened by the medical bay, when she heard Marie's screams. For a split second, she wondered why a praise to God would be voiced out so... "un-praise-like." But then it hit her -- she ran to the ICU. Her movements, it seemed to her, were almost mechanical: she called for the doctor, while the silver-haired girl clung onto the capsule as if her life depended on it. She then called for Sumeragi and the Meisters...

The doctor came in and quickly -- accurately & carefully -- scanned through the vital statistics displayed by the monitors. He bit his lip and bade for the capsule to be opened. It had to take Lockon and Setsuna to hold the sobbing Marie back.

The people at Krung Thep could never forget that day – the day when a psalm of praise turned into a mournful song of sorrow.

-- END --


End file.
